Sergeant at Arms of the United States House of Representatives
Encyclopedia
The United States House of Representatives Sergeant at Arms is an officer of the House with law enforcement
, protocol
, and administrative
responsibilities. The Sergeant at Arms is elected at the beginning of each Congress by the membership of the chamber. The current House Sergeant at Arms is Wilson "Bill" Livingood
.
, the House office buildings, and on adjacent grounds. Under the direction of the Speaker of the House
or other presiding officer, the Sergeant at Arms plays an integral role in maintaining order and decorum in the House chamber.
The Sergeant at Arms is also responsible for ensuring the safety and security of members of Congress, congressional staff, visiting dignitaries, and tourists
. Toward this mission, the Sergeant at Arms works in concert with the Senate Sergeant at Arms
, and the Architect of the Capitol
. These three officials, along with the Chief of the Capitol Police
in an ex officio status, comprise the Capitol Police Board
.
Through custom and precedent, the Sergeant at Arms performs a number of protocol and ceremonial
duties. Among these duties are to lead formal procession
s at ceremonies such as presidential inaugurations, joint sessions of Congress
(such as the State of the Union address
), formal addresses to the Congress, greeting and escorting visiting foreign dignitaries, and to supervise congressional funeral
arrangements. In this capacity, the Sergeant at Arms is most famous for announcing the arrival of the President, a responsibility that he took over from the Doorkeeper of the United States House of Representatives
when the latter position was abolished in 1995. Custom dictates that he announce the arrival of the president by saying, "Mister (or Madam) Speaker, the President of the United States
!"
For daily sessions of the House, the Sergeant at Arms carries the silver
and ebony
Mace of the United States House of Representatives
in front of the speaker in procession to the rostrum
. When the House is in session, the mace stands on a pedestal
to the speaker's own right. When the body resolves itself into a Committee of the Whole House on the State of the Union
, the sergeant moves the mace to a lowered position, more or less out of sight. In accordance with the Rules of the House, on the rare occasions when a Member becomes unruly, the Sergeant at Arms, on order of the Speaker, lifts the mace from its pedestal and presents it before the offenders, thereby restoring order.
The Sergeant at Arms performs administrative services in support of the Members, staff, and visitors associated with the security and other operations of the House.
Law enforcement agency
In North American English, a law enforcement agency is a government agency responsible for the enforcement of the laws.Outside North America, such organizations are called police services. In North America, some of these services are called police while others have other names In North American...
, protocol
Protocol (politics)
Protocol can mean any logbook or other artifact of a political meeting between persons from different nations, such as the Kyoto Protocol on Climate Change. The most notorious example of a forged logbook is "The Protocols of the Elders of Zion"....
, and administrative
Public administration
Public Administration houses the implementation of government policy and an academic discipline that studies this implementation and that prepares civil servants for this work. As a "field of inquiry with a diverse scope" its "fundamental goal.....
responsibilities. The Sergeant at Arms is elected at the beginning of each Congress by the membership of the chamber. The current House Sergeant at Arms is Wilson "Bill" Livingood
Wilson Livingood
Wilson "Bill" Livingood , a 33-year veteran of the United States Secret Service, was elected Sergeant at Arms of the United States House of Representatives on January 4, 1995, for the 104th Congress, and subsequently re-elected through the current Congress.From Philadelphia, he grew up in Texas and...
.
Duties
As the chief law enforcement officer of the House, the Sergeant at Arms is responsible for security in the House wing of the United States CapitolUnited States Capitol
The United States Capitol is the meeting place of the United States Congress, the legislature of the federal government of the United States. Located in Washington, D.C., it sits atop Capitol Hill at the eastern end of the National Mall...
, the House office buildings, and on adjacent grounds. Under the direction of the Speaker of the House
Speaker of the United States House of Representatives
The Speaker of the United States House of Representatives, or Speaker of the House, is the presiding officer of the United States House of Representatives...
or other presiding officer, the Sergeant at Arms plays an integral role in maintaining order and decorum in the House chamber.
The Sergeant at Arms is also responsible for ensuring the safety and security of members of Congress, congressional staff, visiting dignitaries, and tourists
Tourism
Tourism is travel for recreational, leisure or business purposes. The World Tourism Organization defines tourists as people "traveling to and staying in places outside their usual environment for not more than one consecutive year for leisure, business and other purposes".Tourism has become a...
. Toward this mission, the Sergeant at Arms works in concert with the Senate Sergeant at Arms
Sergeant at Arms of the United States Senate
The Sergeant at Arms and Doorkeeper of the Senate is the law enforcer for the United States Senate. One of the chief roles of the Sergeant is to hold the gavel used at every session...
, and the Architect of the Capitol
Architect of the Capitol
The Architect of the Capitol is the federal agency responsible for the maintenance, operation, development, and preservation of the United States Capitol Complex, and also the head of that agency. The Architect of the Capitol is in the legislative branch and is responsible to the United States...
. These three officials, along with the Chief of the Capitol Police
United States Capitol Police
The United States Capitol Police is a federal police force charged with protecting the United States Congress within the District of Columbia and throughout the United States and its territories.-History:...
in an ex officio status, comprise the Capitol Police Board
Capitol Police Board
The Capitol Police Board is a group of three members who maintain jurisdiction over the United States Capitol Police. The three members of this board are the Architect of the Capitol, the Sergeant at Arms of the United States Senate, and the Sergeant at Arms of the United States House of...
.
Through custom and precedent, the Sergeant at Arms performs a number of protocol and ceremonial
Ceremony
A ceremony is an event of ritual significance, performed on a special occasion. The word may be of Etruscan origin.-Ceremonial occasions:A ceremony may mark a rite of passage in a human life, marking the significance of, for example:* birth...
duties. Among these duties are to lead formal procession
Procession
A procession is an organized body of people advancing in a formal or ceremonial manner.-Procession elements:...
s at ceremonies such as presidential inaugurations, joint sessions of Congress
Joint session of the United States Congress
Joint sessions of the United States Congress are the gatherings together of both houses of the United States Congress...
(such as the State of the Union address
State of the Union Address
The State of the Union is an annual address presented by the President of the United States to the United States Congress. The address not only reports on the condition of the nation but also allows the president to outline his legislative agenda and his national priorities.The practice arises...
), formal addresses to the Congress, greeting and escorting visiting foreign dignitaries, and to supervise congressional funeral
Funeral
A funeral is a ceremony for celebrating, sanctifying, or remembering the life of a person who has died. Funerary customs comprise the complex of beliefs and practices used by a culture to remember the dead, from interment itself, to various monuments, prayers, and rituals undertaken in their honor...
arrangements. In this capacity, the Sergeant at Arms is most famous for announcing the arrival of the President, a responsibility that he took over from the Doorkeeper of the United States House of Representatives
Doorkeeper of the United States House of Representatives
An appointed officer of the United States House of Representatives from 1789 to 1995, the Doorkeeper of the United States House of Representatives was chosen by a resolution at the opening of each United States Congress. The Office of the Doorkeeper was based on precedent from the Continental...
when the latter position was abolished in 1995. Custom dictates that he announce the arrival of the president by saying, "Mister (or Madam) Speaker, the President of the United States
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
!"
For daily sessions of the House, the Sergeant at Arms carries the silver
Silver
Silver is a metallic chemical element with the chemical symbol Ag and atomic number 47. A soft, white, lustrous transition metal, it has the highest electrical conductivity of any element and the highest thermal conductivity of any metal...
and ebony
Ebony
Ebony is a dense black wood, most commonly yielded by several species in the genus Diospyros, but ebony may also refer to other heavy, black woods from unrelated species. Ebony is dense enough to sink in water. Its fine texture, and very smooth finish when polished, make it valuable as an...
Mace of the United States House of Representatives
Mace of the United States House of Representatives
The Mace of the United States House of Representatives is one of the oldest symbols of the United States government.-History:In one of its first resolutions, the U.S. House of Representatives of the 1st Federal Congress established the Office of the Sergeant at Arms...
in front of the speaker in procession to the rostrum
Podium
A podium is a platform that is used to raise something to a short distance above its surroundings. It derives from the Greek πόδι In architecture a building can rest on a large podium. Podia can also be used to raise people, for instance the conductor of an orchestra stands on a podium as do many...
. When the House is in session, the mace stands on a pedestal
Pedestal
Pedestal is a term generally applied to the support of a statue or a vase....
to the speaker's own right. When the body resolves itself into a Committee of the Whole House on the State of the Union
Committee of the Whole (United States House of Representatives)
In the United States House of Representatives, the Committee of the Whole, short for Committee of the Whole House on the State of the Union, is a parliamentary device in which the House of Representatives is considered one large congressional committee...
, the sergeant moves the mace to a lowered position, more or less out of sight. In accordance with the Rules of the House, on the rare occasions when a Member becomes unruly, the Sergeant at Arms, on order of the Speaker, lifts the mace from its pedestal and presents it before the offenders, thereby restoring order.
The Sergeant at Arms performs administrative services in support of the Members, staff, and visitors associated with the security and other operations of the House.
Capitol Guide Board
In addition to serving on the Capitol Police Board, the Sergeant at Arms serves with the Senate Sergeant at Arms and the Architect of the Capitol on the Capitol Guide Board. This board oversees the Capitol Guide Service, which provides tours of the Capitol to visitors and special services to tourists.Deputy Sergeant at Arms
The Deputy Sergeant at Arms is an important position under the Sergeant at Arms. The Sergeant at Arms has the duty of making the important decisions under his/her power, while the Deputy Sergeant at Arms often executes the decisions. The current Deputy Sergeants at Arms are Kerri Hanley and Donald Kellaher.List of Sergeants at Arms
| Sergeant at Arms | State or Territory | Term of Service |
|---|---|---|
| Joseph Wheaton Joseph Wheaton Joseph Wheaton was an elected United States House of Representatives officer from 1789 to 1809. He served as the House Sergeant at Arms for the First, through Tenth United States Congresses.-External links:*... |
Rhode Island Rhode Island The state of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, more commonly referred to as Rhode Island , is a state in the New England region of the United States. It is the smallest U.S. state by area... |
May 12, 1789 – October 27, 1807 |
| Thomas Dunn | Maryland Maryland Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east... |
October 27, 1807 – December 5, 1824 |
| John O. Dunn | District of Columbia | December 6, 1824 – December 3, 1833 |
| Thomas B. Randolph | Virginia Virginia The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there... |
December 3, 1833 – December 15, 1835 |
| Roderick Dorsey | Maryland Maryland Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east... |
December 15, 1835 – June 8, 1841 |
| Eleazor M. Townsend | Connecticut Connecticut Connecticut is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, and the state of New York to the west and the south .Connecticut is named for the Connecticut River, the major U.S. river that approximately... |
June 8, 1841 – December 7, 1843 |
| Newton Lane | Kentucky Kentucky The Commonwealth of Kentucky is a state located in the East Central United States of America. As classified by the United States Census Bureau, Kentucky is a Southern state, more specifically in the East South Central region. Kentucky is one of four U.S. states constituted as a commonwealth... |
December 7, 1843 – December 8, 1847 |
| Nathan Sargant | Vermont Vermont Vermont is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state ranks 43rd in land area, , and 45th in total area. Its population according to the 2010 census, 630,337, is the second smallest in the country, larger only than Wyoming. It is the only New England... |
December 8, 1847 – January 15, 1850 |
| Adam J. Glossbrenner | Pennsylvania Pennsylvania The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to... |
January 15, 1850 – February 3, 1860 |
| Henry W. Hoffman | Maryland Maryland Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east... |
February 3, 1860 – July 5, 1861 |
| Edward Ball | Ohio Ohio Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus... |
July 5, 1861 – December 8, 1863 |
| Nehemiah G. Ordway Nehemiah G. Ordway Nehemiah George Ordway was a New Hampshire state senator and the seventh Governor of Dakota Territory. Ordway was regarded as one of Dakota Territory's most controversial governors.... |
New Hampshire New Hampshire New Hampshire is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state was named after the southern English county of Hampshire. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Atlantic Ocean to the east, and the Canadian... |
December 8, 1863 – December 6, 1875 |
| John G. Thompson | Ohio Ohio Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus... |
December 6, 1875 – December 5, 1881 |
| George W. Hooker | Vermont Vermont Vermont is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state ranks 43rd in land area, , and 45th in total area. Its population according to the 2010 census, 630,337, is the second smallest in the country, larger only than Wyoming. It is the only New England... |
December 5, 1881 – December 4, 1883 |
| John P. Leedom John P. Leedom For the Texas state senator from Dallas, see John N. Leedom.John Peter Leedom was a U.S. Representative from Ohio.... |
Ohio Ohio Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus... |
December 4, 1883 – December 2, 1889 |
| Adoniram J. Holmes Adoniram J. Holmes Adoniram Judson Holmes a Republican, was the first U.S. Representative from Iowa's 10th congressional district.-Biography:Born in Wooster, Ohio, Holmes moved with his parents to Palmyra, Wisconsin, in 1853... |
Iowa Iowa Iowa is a state located in the Midwestern United States, an area often referred to as the "American Heartland". It derives its name from the Ioway people, one of the many American Indian tribes that occupied the state at the time of European exploration. Iowa was a part of the French colony of New... |
December 2, 1889 – December 8, 1891 |
| Samuel S. Yoder Samuel S. Yoder Samuel S. Yoder was a U.S. Representative from Ohio.-Biography:Born in Berlin, Ohio, Yoder attended the common schools, Wooster University, and graduated from the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor... |
Ohio Ohio Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus... |
December 8, 1891 – August 7, 1893 |
| Herman W. Snow Herman W. Snow Herman Wilber Snow was a U.S. Representative from Illinois, United States.-Biography:Born in Michigan City, Indiana, Snow moved with his parents to Madisonville, Kentucky, where he attended the public schools. He moved to Sheldon, Illinois and taught school several years before he commenced the... |
Illinois Illinois Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,... |
August 7, 1893 – December 2, 1895 |
| Benjamin F. Russell | Missouri Missouri Missouri is a US state located in the Midwestern United States, bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. With a 2010 population of 5,988,927, Missouri is the 18th most populous state in the nation and the fifth most populous in the Midwest. It... |
December 2, 1895 – December 4, 1899 |
| Henry Casson Henry Casson Henry Casson was the Secretary of State for Wisconsin from 1895 until 1899. In 1899, at the start of the 56th United States Congress, he was selected by the Republican majority to serve as Sergeant at Arms of the United States House of Representatives... |
Wisconsin Wisconsin Wisconsin is a U.S. state located in the north-central United States and is part of the Midwest. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michigan to the northeast, and Lake Superior to the north. Wisconsin's capital is... |
December 4, 1899 – April 4, 1911 |
| Ulysses S. Jackson | Indiana Indiana Indiana is a US state, admitted to the United States as the 19th on December 11, 1816. It is located in the Midwestern United States and Great Lakes Region. With 6,483,802 residents, the state is ranked 15th in population and 16th in population density. Indiana is ranked 38th in land area and is... |
April 4, 1911 – June 22, 1913 |
| Charles F. Riddell | Indiana Indiana Indiana is a US state, admitted to the United States as the 19th on December 11, 1816. It is located in the Midwestern United States and Great Lakes Region. With 6,483,802 residents, the state is ranked 15th in population and 16th in population density. Indiana is ranked 38th in land area and is... |
July 18, 1912 – April 7, 1913 |
| Robert B. Gordon Robert B. Gordon Robert Bryarly Gordon was a U.S. Representative from Ohio.Born at St. Marys, Auglaize County, Ohio, Gordon attended the public schools. He served as Postmaster of St... |
Ohio Ohio Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus... |
April 7, 1913 – May 19, 1919 |
| Joseph G. Rogers | Pennsylvania Pennsylvania The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to... |
May 19, 1919 – December 7, 1931 |
| Kenneth Romney | Montana Montana Montana is a state in the Western United States. The western third of Montana contains numerous mountain ranges. Smaller, "island ranges" are found in the central third of the state, for a total of 77 named ranges of the Rocky Mountains. This geographical fact is reflected in the state's name,... |
December 7, 1931 – January 3, 1947 |
| William F. Russell | Pennsylvania Pennsylvania The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to... |
January 3, 1947 – January 3, 1949 |
| Joseph H. Callahan | Kentucky Kentucky The Commonwealth of Kentucky is a state located in the East Central United States of America. As classified by the United States Census Bureau, Kentucky is a Southern state, more specifically in the East South Central region. Kentucky is one of four U.S. states constituted as a commonwealth... |
January 3, 1949 – January 3, 1953 |
| William F. Russell | Pennsylvania Pennsylvania The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to... |
January 3, 1953 – July 7, 1953 |
| Lyle O. Snader | Illinois Illinois Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,... |
July 8, 1953 – September 15, 1953 |
| William R. Bonsell | Pennsylvania Pennsylvania The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to... |
September 15, 1953 – January 5, 1955 |
| Zeake W. Johnson Jr. | Tennessee Tennessee Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area... |
January 5, 1955 – September 30, 1972 |
| Kenneth R. Harding Kenneth R. Harding Kenneth R. Harding, served as Sergeant at Arms of the United States House of Representatives from October 1, 1972 until February 29, 1980.-Personal life:... |
Virginia Virginia The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there... |
October 1, 1972 – February 29, 1980 |
| Benjamin J. Guthrie | Virginia Virginia The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there... |
March 1, 1980 – January 3, 1983 |
| Jack Russ | Maryland Maryland Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east... |
January 3, 1983 – March 12, 1992 |
| Werner Brandt | Virginia Virginia The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there... |
March 12, 1992 – January 4, 1995 |
| Wilson Livingood Wilson Livingood Wilson "Bill" Livingood , a 33-year veteran of the United States Secret Service, was elected Sergeant at Arms of the United States House of Representatives on January 4, 1995, for the 104th Congress, and subsequently re-elected through the current Congress.From Philadelphia, he grew up in Texas and... |
Virginia Virginia The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there... |
January 4, 1995 – present |
External links
- Source: United States House of Representatives Sergeant at Arms Fact Sheet (pdf file), via House.gov
- Who is the Sergeant-at-Arms, and what does he/she do? How is the position filled? , via c-span.org (May 3, 2000)